Left to right: Sarah Meyohas, Dawn Chorus, 2021; Mel O’Callaghan, Pneuma, 2021; Ori Gersht, Forget Me Not, 2021
About the Exhibit:
The most ambitious and expansive exhibition to date of contemporary artworks created with augmented reality (AR) technology will premiere at Royal Botanical Gardens on September 23 as one of 12 participating gardens across six countries and the only location in Canada. Seeing the Invisible features new works by more than a dozen international artists including Ai Weiwei, Refik Anadol, El Anatsui, Mohammed Kazem, Sigalit Landau, Sarah Meyohas, Pamela Rosenkranz, and Timur Si-Qin—including several artists’ firsts works in AR. Visitors will engage with Seeing the Invisible via an app designed for the exhibition downloadable to smartphones and tablets. Forging new links between botanical gardens located in diverse biomes around the globe, the exhibition fosters collaboration between institutions, artists, and audiences, highlighting the power of art to connect people around the world. The first exhibition of its kind to be developed as a collaboration among botanical gardens around the world, Seeing the Invisible was initiated by the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens and Outset Contemporary Art Fund with support of The Jerusalem Foundation, and is co-curated by Hadas Maor and Tal Michael Haring. The experience will be complemented by tours and educational programming as well as RBG’s very own Dan Lawrie International Sculpture Collection, a stunning collection of 15 inspiring works of art from around the world that have been growing in numbers at Hendrie Park since 2010. New for 2021 is the arrival of two new pieces, Overture and Reverie. Thursday nights will feature the added experience of RBG After Dark, where visitors will have the opportunity to engage with local artists while experiencing music and culinary delights.
Featured Artists:
Ai Weiwei (b. 1957, Beijing, China; lives and works in Berlin Tempelhof Airport, Germany)
Refik Anadol (b. 1985, Istanbul, Turkey; lives and works in Los Angeles, USA)
El Anatsui (b. 1944, Anyako, Ghana; lives and works in Nigeria)
Ori Gersht (b. 1967, Tel Aviv, Israel; lives and works in London, UK)
Isaac Julien CBE (b.1960, London, UK; lives and works in London, UK)
Mohammed Kazem (b. 1969, Dubai, UAE; lives and works in Dubai, UAE)
Sigalit Landau (b. 1969, Jerusalem, Israel; lives and works in Tel Aviv, Israel)
Daito Manabe (b. 1976, Tokyo, Japan; lives and works in Tokyo, Japan)
Sarah Meyohas (b. 1991, New York City, USA; lives and works in New York City, USA)
Mel O’Callaghan (b. 1975, Sydney, Australia; lives and works in Paris, France)
Pamela Rosenkranz (b. 1979, Switzerland; lives and works in Zurich, Switzerland)
Timur Si-Qin (b. 1984; lives and works in New York City, USA)
Jakob Kudsk Steensen (b. 1987, Denmark; lives and works in Berlin, Germany)
Curators, Founding Partners, & Collaborating Gardens:
This project has been made possible in partnership with The Jerusalem Foundation and supported by The Clore Israel Foundation and Nathan Cummings Foundation. Seeing the Invisible is co-curated by Hadas Maor and Tal Michael Haring, and organized by Jerusalem Botanical Gardens and Outset Contemporary Art Fund.
Seeing the Invisible will simultaneously premiere at:
Denver Botanic Gardens
Eden Project (Cornwall, UK)
Jerusalem Botanical Gardens
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden (Cape Town, South Africa)
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens (Sarasota, Florida)
Massachusetts Horticultural Society (Dover, MA)
Royal Botanical Gardens (Ontario, Canada)
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria (Melbourne, Australia)
San Diego Botanic Garden
Tucson Botanical Gardens
How to Experience the Artworks
Seeing the Invisible is accessible via smartphone and tablet through the unique Seeing the Invisible app, which is available for iPhone and Android in the App Store and Google Play. Please see device compatibility in the F.A.Qs below. Using the app interface, visitors will encounter 13 unique and interactive artworks dotting the Hendrie Park landscape. Visitors can snap photos engaging with larger than life, moving and interactive artwork that they can virtually walk through, while plugging into an audio component that amplifies the artistic experience. A number of the art installations include a soundscape. We recommend you bring your own headphones, however Shop @ the Garden will be selling them for $15 each. The augmented reality (AR) nature of the exhibition allows for the creation of expansive, immersive works that engage with existing features of the natural landscape beyond the boundaries of what is possible with physical artworks, and many of the works created for the exhibition will address related themes around nature, environment, sustainability, and the intersection of the physical world with the digital one.
Exhibit Timed-Tickets
This is a special ticketed exhibition and pre-registration is required. Your ticket includes admission to the gardens during the day! Upon purchasing, you will be required to select a date and entry time.
Exhibit Dates:
Thursdays to Sundays, September 23 to November 6, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Timeslots: 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 12 p.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m.
Tickets are non-refundable and final sale. General admission discounts and coupons are not applicable to this exhibit.
After a purchase is complete, the tickets are the property of the ticket-holder, and RBG will be unable to accommodate any date or time changes.
Student ticket requires showing a student card indicating full-time attendance in a recognized post-secondary institution.
RBG considers a senior to be a person of 65+ years of age.
Do you already have a general admission ticket? Upgrade your ticket for $5.00 for entry into the exhibition. Remember to bring proof of purchase for both tickets. Tickets for Seeing the Invisible are just $2.00 for RBG Members.
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